BCBusiness
Here’s what Gen Z and millennials can learn from the happiest generation in the Canadian workforce—before boomers take their secrets into retirement.
When it comes to happiness at work, the generation that helped redefine the workplace is leaving it feeling better than anyone else.
According to human capital management platform ADP Canada’s recent Happiness@Work Index, baby boomers (age 61-79) are the happiest generation in the Canadian workforce, scoring 7.5 out of 10 on overall work happiness—higher than Gen Z (6.7), Gen X and millennials (6.8 each). But as the last of the boomers approach retirement age, the statistics warrant more than just curiosity. They’re a warning sign.
Heather Haslam, vice president of marketing at ADP Canada says that boomers’ happiness in the workplace is not new. “We’ve been doing the ADP work index for a few years now,” says Haslam. “Boomers have been at the top of the leaderboard consistently.”
By 2030, all baby boomers will reach retirement age and the percentage of Gen Z in the workforce is expected to rise. As of 2023, nearly 4.4 million boomers were still part of Canada’s workforce. Their mass exit threatens to leave behind a void in experience, leadership, workplace culture—and potentially, a happiness gap.
Boomers’ job satisfaction may stem from more than just experience. It’s about how they work—and disconnect.
“My father would drop his briefcase at the door on Friday night. Then, Monday morning when he was going back (to work), he would pick up that same briefcase and leave,” says Haslam. “He knew how to disconnect and how much better he was at work when he had been able to take that much-needed break.”
According to Haslam, boomers often prioritize work-life balance, stability, recognition and support—elements that might be harder to come by for younger generations, despite more progressive and flexible workplaces.
Meanwhile, younger Canadians are facing a different reality. Although according to Statistics Canada, millennials earned more in 2016 than Gen X did at the same age—$66,500 compared to $51,000 for Gen x in 1999—their day-to-day satisfaction is slipping.
“Purpose is key. The way in which we’re getting support for career advancement is even more important as you’re beginning your career,” says Haslam.
For starters, income hasn’t kept pace with the cost of living. Housing, food, education and child care are all more expensive than they were a generation ago. Not to mention Gen z’s mounting unemployment crisis.
In 2022, only 24.1 percent of all jobs across Canada were occupied by people under 30. In October, the workforce participation rate of 15-to-24-year-olds declined 5.3 percent year over year.
A 2024 Statistics Canada report found that over 55 per cent of Canadians aged 25-44 said rising prices were significantly affecting their ability to meet everyday expenses—compared to just 28 percent of seniors. While millennials may have reported higher earnings compared to the previous generations back in 2016, today’s wages for those aged 17–24 are about 10 percent lower than in 1981—while housing and education costs have surged. Younger adults were also far more likely to report high financial stress, and to rely on food banks or community organizations.
Understanding what’s working for their happiest employees could help employers better support younger generations.
Haslam says that starts with fostering human connection in the workplace.
“People want psychological safety,” she says. “What drives culture (in the workplace) is when there is that human connection at work—whether or not that is through the idea of having a friend and also through their leader.”
Haslam recommends younger workers take stock of their values and support systems. Her three pieces of advice reflect on where you want to be; build a ‘personal board of directors’—mentors, friends, professors—people who can help guide you; and have the courage to design the career and life you want.
As boomers retire, they’re taking with them not only the institutional memory and mentorship but a mindset that helped them feel grounded and content at work.
“Happiness at work is important and it bleeds out into life” says Haslam. “The more that we can create environments and workplaces in the Canadian market that are supporting people, the more they’ll be happier, the more they’ll be engaged.”